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Something I think that contributes a lot to how much weight you hold naturally is how insulin sensitive you are. The more insulin sensitive you are the less wei

by kypro 4y ago

Something I think that contributes a lot to how much weight you hold naturally is how insulin sensitive you are. The more insulin sensitive you are the less weight you'll put on and there's a huge range between optimal insulin sensitivity, average, and diabetic. I also suspect (although I'm not an expert) the reason some people find it easier to lose weight while doing OMAD or keto isn't just because they're eating less, but because they're far more insulin sensitive and two of the best ways to increase insulin sensitivity is to fast or to eat less carbs. Another reason I believe this to be the case is because as I've aged I've noticed my friends are holding more weight despite little change their diets or physical activity. I'm sure some of this is related to a slowdown in their resting metabolic rate, but I also suspect it's got something to do with the fact that as people age they become less insulin sensitive on average -- especially if they don't eat well or eat too often. This is probably why as a kid you can eat a tub of icecream without putting on any weight, but as adult you would. It's not just that kids have higher metabolisms, but that they're more insulin sensitive and less likely to be diabetic or pre-diabetic. A question to ask here is why are people with low BMI's are less hungry? Could that be because they're metabolic healthier and their bodies are therefore better able to enter ketosis during periods without food? From personal experience with fasting and low carb diets I've experienced how significant it is when the body adjusts to burning fat as a primary fuel source. Although, you still feel hungry you don't feel like you need food. Similarly, you know when someone isn't metabolically adapted when they go too long without food because they become irritable and physically feel week.

borroka 4y ago
Basal metabolism does not seem to slow down until one is around 60 years old (recent NYT editorial on the Science publication https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/health/metabolism-weight-aging.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/health/metabolism-weight-...). There is heterogeneity, but still. Although our physiology is adaptable and we don't see daily or weekly wild weight swings with a few hundred calories up or down from maintenance, over weeks and months, 4-800 kcals of average daily surplus have very noticeable effects. And those are differences that can be had by working 2 days from office instead of 5 and getting into the habit of eating a cookie in the morning, while previously we just grabbed a black coffee and that was it. It is very easy to get into the "plus calories" territory. At the start of the pandemic, after a few weeks of working from home, many of my colleagues were 5-8 pounds heavier than they were before. And those pounds were not of muscle tissue.
prionassembly 4y ago
You can't easily discount culture and habit, nor can you easily account for it in studies. Cross-country comparisons are often surprising, but even then they blur within-country heterogeneity (is $country fatter on average/mode, or does it have a looooooong tail on account of a slightly higher rate of rare genetics?)
LocalPCGuy 4y ago
I thought this is a pretty common knowledge for anyone who has actually looked that the reasons why Keto works. Although in general, people also do tend to eat fewer calories on those types of diets also because they reach satiety more quickly with denser/higher fat foods. But a lot of the doctors that are well known in the keto world (and yes, be very careful and try to verify anything you hear when it comes from someone who has "specialized" in something like keto) is that it has a ton to do with the insulin sensitivity.

by kypro 4y ago

borroka 4y ago

Basal metabolism does not seem to slow down until one is around 60 years old (recent NYT editorial on the Science publication https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/health/metabolism-weight-aging.html https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/12/health/metabolism-weight-...). There is heterogeneity, but still. Although our physiology is adaptable and we don't see daily or weekly wild weight swings with a few hundred calories up or down from maintenance, over weeks and months, 4-800 kcals of average daily surplus have very noticeable effects. And those are differences that can be had by working 2 days from office instead of 5 and getting into the habit of eating a cookie in the morning, while previously we just grabbed a black coffee and that was it. It is very easy to get into the "plus calories" territory. At the start of the pandemic, after a few weeks of working from home, many of my colleagues were 5-8 pounds heavier than they were before. And those pounds were not of muscle tissue.

prionassembly 4y ago

You can't easily discount culture and habit, nor can you easily account for it in studies. Cross-country comparisons are often surprising, but even then they blur within-country heterogeneity (is $country fatter on average/mode, or does it have a looooooong tail on account of a slightly higher rate of rare genetics?)

LocalPCGuy 4y ago

I thought this is a pretty common knowledge for anyone who has actually looked that the reasons why Keto works. Although in general, people also do tend to eat fewer calories on those types of diets also because they reach satiety more quickly with denser/higher fat foods. But a lot of the doctors that are well known in the keto world (and yes, be very careful and try to verify anything you hear when it comes from someone who has "specialized" in something like keto) is that it has a ton to do with the insulin sensitivity.